


Biggles Gets About

by id_ten_it



Category: Biggles Series - W. E. Johns
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23696194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/id_ten_it/pseuds/id_ten_it
Summary: A response to wateroverstone's open invite.Sometimes, you just have to lie back and think of England. Sometimes, that isn't enough.or: Raymond can order the boys to do anything or, indeed, anyone.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	Biggles Gets About

“I say, Biggl-“ Algy broke off, slowly turning a dusky beet read. “I say…I’m sorry old chap. I’ll, er, I’ll see you outside.”  
“I’m sorry” Biggles attempted, but the woman under him was already pulling her risqué dress up around her bosom and preparing to depart. “Don’t bother” she drawled, stalking off.

“What did you do that for?!” Biggles accosted Algy as soon as he was downstairs, “we were really getting somewhere and now she’s stormed off.”  
“May I remind you that we’ve been back for nearly an hour? I didn’t realise you were as old as all that!” At Biggles’ disgruntled splutter Algy hurried on, “be that as it may, I pumped the other one and she told me that Father keeps the stock in the estate’s old stables. So we’ll train up there tomorrow morning on and I’ll wire Ginger and Bertie to fly up and collect us. Estate like that’s sure to have plenty of place for a small kite, or there’s an airfield nearby.” Apparently convinced he had everything well under control, Algy retrieved two brandies from the hotel bar and passed one over.

  
“Thank you.” The elder man said stiffly, downing his drink and indicating immediately for another. “This is the only stiff anything I’m like to enjoy for a while” Biggles informed his companion coolly. Algy’s smile slipped south slowly as they sat in a deathly little silence. “I am sorry” Algy tried eventually, once his companion was well outside his third drink, “I was just excited to have the answer. It never occurred to me that you weren’t…ready.” He did look, Biggles supposed, genuinely apologetic. Somewhat pink, Biggles ran a thoughtful finger up his glass. “It’s not that I’m old” he admitted, “rather that it’s been the deuce of a long time. I mean…I never seem to be in the same place long enough to catch a lady and get her to stay.”   
To his great consternation, Algy let out a hearty chuckle.  
“I didn’t think you were the settling down sort!” he gasped out, “don’t mind me.” The laughter continued, “just imagining you with a bunch of small children to dandy on your knee.”  
Biggles looked more than a little shocked at this unfeeling suggestion. “I don’t want children! But I’d like to remind you that not everybody has your ability to go out with a different girl every night. Some of us haven’t seen one that close for longer than you’d care to know.” Algy’s chuckles slowly modulated themselves to an understanding smile. “Well if you’ve forgotten anything, take it up with Lucinda. She’s just been reminded of everything I know.”  
“Oh is that why it didn’t take you long?” Biggles snarked, but he smiled and turned the conversation to the consignment of seditious material apparently being produced in London, shipped out of the estate and on to Europe.

After the awkwardness of the evening before, Algy elected to wait for Biggles in the lobby when he awoke, and was hoping there’d be tea available at the station when Biggles bounded down the stairs.   
“Good sleep?” Algy inquired, unused to quite so much vim prior to sunrise.   
“Something like that” Biggles agreed, more than a little pink.  
“Some _one_ , anyway” Algy smirked, unsuccessfully hiding his mirth behind his hand as they set off for the station, “the walls here are all thin modern things old boy” he explained. “So long as Felicia enjoyed herself.”

Biggles seriously considered strangling his companion, but before he had the plan quite sorted in his head, their taxi had arrived at the station and they were purchasing strong tea and breakfast baps then hustling onto the mail train. Perched up out of the way of the busy postal workers there wasn’t time or space to talk about the reason for their journey; Algy was amused to see his companion settle into a doze for the majority of the trip.

  
“She keep you up?” he attempted to commiserate, as they extracted themselves from the train and restored themselves at the railway tea shop.  
“Why this morbid curiosity with my personal affairs?” Biggles complained, but he smiled shyly as he said it and Algy decided the complaint was more for form.  
“Just wanted to remind you that we’re probably going to see her father arrested this afternoon, and I doubt she’ll thank you for it. So you’ll need to join the rest of us next time we head out hunting.”  
Biggles rolled his eyes at his one-track mind. “Perhaps instead of thinking about interruptions we both regret, we could move on to our actual job?” was all he said, standing and shepherding Algy out.

In the end, they needn’t have been too concerned about anybody noticing their approach to the old stables. They had hired a car, having decided that a taxi driver would possibly balk at their requests, and as Biggles drove over the crest of the hill, a flurry of activity centred on the stables was clearly visible. “That’s torn it” Biggles swore quietly, and pushed his foot down so hard the car lurched up the hill like a demented racehorse.   
“How could they know someone was coming?” Algy wondered. It was a measure of his concern that Biggles let the double entendre lie. As they drove closer the airmen made out their companions of the previous evening.   
“They knew” Algy breathed, “the little so-and-so’s!” Then, rage apparently tamped down, “let’s surprise them.”

  
Biggles pulled the car into a wide semi-circle, and he and Algy jumped out, already calling for the action to cease. It took some little time for the half dozen men (and two women) to fully understand the gravity of the situation, but both aviators had convinced more intimidating people than this to do what they wanted. Ginger and Bertie flying low overhead didn’t hurt either.  
In short order, in fact, all eight were rounded up and sitting in a straggling line against the far side of the building. Bertie had sauntered over to act as guard, leaving Ginger to radio back to base for an immediate delegation to turn up from the local station. Concerned there were others who had tipped them off, Biggles had pulled aside Felicia.  
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”  
“I don’t trust the phone lines.” Felicia returned coolly, “so I motored up overnight.” Biggles’ eyebrows rose as she leant against the wall next to him and presented him a cigarette to light for her.   
“Oh come on” she murmured, amused, “you’re a famous air ace but that only gets one so far with a lady. Luckily for you, I’m not one to deny someone obviously hankering after it. I presumed that meant you knew what you were doing, but apparently I was mistaken.” Biggles wondered when women had got so mean. “So, I got to thinking.” In a parody of that action, she slouched lower against the wall and attempted to blow a smoke ring. Her companion, who hadn’t enjoyed the idea of sleeping with a young woman to get information, and in any case hadn’t exactly enjoyed their interrupted evening, had no intention of listening to his charms disparaged. However, she had moved on. “I realised it must be an act, especially after your friend interrupted us. So Lucinda and I came up overnight to warn Daddy. And we nearly got away with it.” She added in disgust, “you were faster than I thought, especially after last night.”  
“Thank you for the information” Biggles interrupted, “kindly sit down again.”  
“You really should get out more” she smirked, stalking back to her seat but obviously enjoying Biggles’ discomfiture.   
“Everything alright?” Algy asked, but all he got was a filthy glare.

That night, the four airmen were seated around their fire, the wireless filling the silence as usual. “Smoke?” Algy offered to the group, and was surprised when Biggles turned it down.  
“Everything okay chief?”  
Biggles sighed at Ginger. “No Ginger, everything is not okay. The only chance I’ve had recently of a touch of-“ he hesitated in finding a word.  
“touching?” suggested Algy, surprisingly tasteful  
“enjoying yourself?” smirked Ginger  
“Rumpy-de-pumpy?” crowed Bertie, and ducked a flying cushion.  
Yyes well. Thank you Bertie. Whatever you want to call it, this lot was only embarked on because I had to, and it never amounted to much anyway.”  
“I’m sure that’s not true!” Bertie assured him, “girls are always the most frightful little oiks, complaining about the littlest of things.” This was rich coming from the man who had declined enjoying female company even if it were freely offered.

Algy unsuccessfully hid his chuckle behind his cigarette, but his eyes were tinged with compassion. “Next time Ginger heads out, he’ll take you with him” he promised, “and if he won’t be your wingman I will. Cheer up Biggles.”  
Biggles did appear to cheer up, and joined in the ribbing the other three habitually gave the weather reporter with a smile. However, after he was ready for bed, he found himself in Algy’s room.   
“Marie always set a great store by foreplay.” He opened with, as though this was an explanation for something, “and she seemed to know what she was talking about. That’s why we hadn’t really got started yet.” It irked him immensely that everyone had taken it for granted that he had been physically unmoved with the girl; in actual fact he had been exercising significant restraint. Not as much as if circumstances were different, but restraint nonetheless.  
“I’m flattered, but you know how I feel about the blonde bimbo type.” Algy grinned, “you’ll have to seek your foursome elsewhere, unless you’re not bringing Felicia along.”  
Biggles couldn’t tell if Algy was joking or not, so threw a hairbrush at him just in case.  
“Ouch!” Algy caught the weapon easily, “tomorrow is Friday night. We’ll go out dancing.”  
“I don’t dance” Biggles grumbled.  
“You do when I’m fixing you up with a girl.”

***

Algy and Bertie were chuckling over the weekend papers and ignoring Biggles' stony silence when Ginger tumbled in looking as though he hadn’t had any sleep. “Oh do pipe down” he groaned, gulping the last of Bertie’s coffee with an air of desperation, “you’ll make my head explode. Ouch.” He added pathetically when Algy chose that moment to offer toast with a loud voice. “My head” the youngest man complained again, “do stop talking, all of you.”  
“We aren’t talking” Algy pointed out, unreasonably, “we’re laughing. Biggles had his way with the fair Pamela last night and by all accounts was not a roaring success.”  
“He can have rogered the both of you on top of the breakfast table for all I care” Ginger moaned, attempting to drink without opening his eyes, “now do belt up or I shan’t be fit for Monday. That girl drank like she didn’t want to live.”  
“You shan’t live long if you keep sitting around looking like something the cat dragged in” Biggles remarked, attempting to look as though he had enjoyed the last twelve hours immensely. “Here” furnished with a tray of tea and plain toast, Ginger was sent back to bed with instructions to die quietly or not at all.  
“I wish he hadn’t said that thing about the table” Algy muttered, the images of the previous week burnt into his eyes.   
“It’s not a particularly nice thought” Bertie agreed, holding his plate daintily in one hand.

“That’s it!” snapped Biggles, “I mayn’t be the biggest success with the ladies” he added, “or anyone else for that matter” he nodded at Bertie, “but I know what I like and I’m happy to wait.”  
“But is she?” Algy chuckled, “sounds like she could be waiting the devil of a long time you know.” Biggles eyed his companions with disfavour. “Really” he said coolly, “at least I can promise she won’t catch anything from me.” And although it wasn’t an especially strong come back, it was all he had, so he swept from the room with as much hauteur as he could muster.

The effect was sadly marred by Bertie’s weak protestation and Algy’s violent revealing of his companion’s hickey. Really, Biggles thought wearily, it was just like being back at boarding school, only with rather more horrifying companions.


End file.
